


Finding the Shore

by runningthroughthewind



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bodyswap, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, POV Multiple
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-05
Updated: 2017-04-05
Packaged: 2018-10-15 02:10:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10548268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/runningthroughthewind/pseuds/runningthroughthewind
Summary: Bodyswap Soulmate AU where soulmates swap bodies when both are in need of unconditional support and don't swap back until they understand the sources of their turmoil and have begun to resolve them.Viktor’s voice continued speaking. “No. You’re talking to Yuuri. Viktor is apparently my soulmate and we’ve switched and the short program is tomorrow and apparently Viktor is also having some kind of breakdown and we only have until tomorrow to fix everything. How am I supposed to even talk to him,” Yuuri asked miserably into his hands.





	

As Yuuri laid down to go to sleep two days before the Grand Prix Final men's singles short program, he couldn’t help but hope that his soulmate was also in the midst of a breakdown, no matter how guilty it made him feel. If only his soulmate was in a similarly miserable state as he was at the moment after having just been informed of Vicchan’s death. With the start of his first Grand Prix Final just days away Yuuri couldn’t help but hope for something to help him make it through it. That is the purpose of the switch after all, switching bodies with your soulmate when you are both in need of the other’s unconditional support.The only problem in Yuuri’s case would be if they couldn’t find each other in the next day since finding each other and beginning to resolve the issues that compelled the switch is the only way to switch back. Even if Yuuri was unable to make it back into his own body in time for the start of the short program, he couldn’t help but wish for the switch anyway. He knew that he would just embarrass himself and everyone supporting him if he were to compete in the state he was in at the moment. 

That one hope was the only thing that allowed him to fall into a fitful sleep - the selfish hope of meeting the one person in the world who could possibly support him through this. 

\---

Viktor startled awake to the sound of music blaring from somewhere beside his head. It took a moment for him to locate the phone that the ringtone was coming from and another for him to realize that the fuzziness in his vision wasn’t going away. Turning the alarm off and trying to organize his thoughts as he woke up a little more, Viktor began to rummage through the contents on the bedside table just to his right. Finding a pair of blue glasses and putting them on to see the room more clearly was when Viktor finally realized the implications of the actions that had come so naturally to him. He slowly came to a pause, lowering his hands to his lap as he sat against the headboard of the hotel room that obviously wasn’t his own. But while his possessions were missing and the furniture was arranged slightly differently, the room looked like it might actually be part of the same hotel Viktor had been staying in the night before. He must have switched. He was in his soulmate’s body. And they might have been just rooms away since yesterday. 

What puzzled him the most, though, was the fact that the switch was needed on his end. Soulmates only switched at a point when both individuals were in need of unconditional support, usually after something traumatic had happened or when some hardship was upcoming or even when they were facing a low point emotionally. It was usually at some turning point in their life. Viktor had just been preparing in the final days leading up to the next Grand Prix Final like he had been doing for the past decade. He had received no bad news, was in prime physical condition for the competition, and had long since passed the point of being anxious before a performance. 

Deciding to put that concern out of his mind for now and focus on the much more exciting prospect of meeting his soulmate for the first time, Viktor at once began examining the body he was inhabiting, letting genuine excitement fill him for what felt like the first time in years. He could feel his grin grow to fill his soulmate’s face. Looking down, he felt his smile grow impossibly wider as he examined his soulmate’s hand and was pleased to learn they were those of a man. While they were somewhat delicate fingers for a man the shape of the palm was more square than that of a woman’s and while that wasn’t a guarantee of the body’s gender identity it was more likely than not that his soulmate was a man. Viktor had had engagements with women before and had enjoyed those times but he had always found himself connecting more intimately with other men. 

He couldn’t quite believe how lucky he was - only a small percentage of the population actually found their soulmate. You both had to be in desperate need of support at the same time. Fewer still were able to make it work with their soulmate, either romantically or platonically, but Viktor couldn’t help but feel hopeful. He had always dreamed of marrying his soulmate and spending their long lives together in a happily ever after like in all the fairy tales. Even if his soulmate didn’t end up interested in him as a romantic partner, he could still see himself dedicating the rest of his life to this mystery man in whatever way he would have him. 

Too excited to hold back any longer, Viktor jumped out of the bed and opened the door he assumed led to the bathroom, if all of his experience spending time in hotel room was to him anything. He fumbled the light switch in his eagerness but quickly got a hold of himself and drank in the long-hoped-for sight of his soulmate in the mirror. He had long feared that he wouldn’t find his soulmate as he had such success in his career, what he had dedicated his life to, but he couldn’t help but be glad that the universe had decided he was in need of some love and support as he examined the adorable man in the mirror and noticed the physique of a skater. Despite the somewhat baggy black and grey tee and teal boxers he looked as if they might share a profession based on the impressive quads and glutes the man had. That plus the wear on his feet and the fact that it looked as if they were staying in the same hotel was making it look increasingly likely that his soulmate was another competitor. 

Though Viktor didn’t recognize the face from anyone he had skated against before, he had made sure to keep track of most of the senior men’s competitors and had definitely looked into all of the finalists. Even if his soulmate was a professional skater he could be in the ice dancing or pair skating divisions, but his face did look vaguely familiar. Thinking back to the other finalists, Viktor suddenly remembered that the Japanese skater always wore his hair pushed out of his face. Squinting into his reflection without the glasses and using one hand to push the messy black hair back, Viktor confirmed his suspicions. His soulmate was the skater from Japan! Yuuri something! He couldn’t remember his last name but Viktor was sure to remember his first name (besides it already sticking since it was so similar to Yuri Plisetsky’s) because he was almost positive that his soulmate was a fan of his. Warmed by the thought, Viktor remembered the small similarities in style and technique that he could see himself in when he watched the other man skate. While he wasn’t technically perfect, he had definitely earned his spot in the final with his artistry and skillful spins. 

Before Viktor could get any more lost in thought about his beautiful Yuuri, the full reality of the situation began to dawn on him. Besides the potential complication of competing tomorrow and neither of them inhabiting the right bodies, the switch only happened in times of turmoil. That must mean that his soulmate was out there somewhere stuck in Viktor’s body being miserable and Viktor was doing a poor job of helping his soulmate. 

Viktor rushed out the door to hopefully find Yuuri in his hotel room to comfort him. It was only as he had gotten to the floor’s elevator that he realized he hadn’t taken anything with him, not Yuuri’s cellphone, the room key, or even shoes or pants. Committed to this course and locked out of the room anyway, Viktor only paused once he realized he couldn’t remember his room number. Now inside the elevator, he remembered that he was on the fourteenth floor with the rest of the athletes from Russia but he couldn't remember the exact room. Determined to knock on all the doors on the floor if that’s what it took, he selected his floor and held down the close door button until the doors shut.

\---

Yuuri opened his eyes and felt surprisingly alert for having woken up before the alarm he had set last night, though he had set it unusually late with the intention of catching up on some sleep to avoid jet lag. It took a moment for the events of yesterday to come back to him. Keeping his eyes closed for a moment to try to (unsuccessfully) stave off tears, Yuuri took a moment to hope that he would open his eyes to a different sight than the one he has closed his eyes to, no matter how bad he felt about wishing suffering on his soulmate, having never felt more in need of not only the unconditional support that soulmates were meant to offer but also any kind of distraction from the death of his beloved dog. 

With a deep gasping breath and tears still leaking down his cheeks, Yuuri opened his eyes to the sight of the same bland curtains beside the same bed as he had closed his eyes to. With tears blurring his vision even more than it would have normally been without his glasses, Yuuri fought down sobs as he squeezed his eyes shut. Trying to get his breathing back under control, he tried to summon some degree of calm. He refused to let this stop him from his long-time dream of competing in the Grand Prix Final, especially with the chance to face his idol as an equal, and maybe even give him some competition, no matter how impossible the goal felt in that moment. 

Opening his eyes again, Yuuri fumbled for his phone on the nightstand to check the time. Bringing it to his face he was taken aback to see Vicchan on the lock screen instead of the selfie Phichit had forced him to save of the two of them as a good luck token before he left Detroit. He was startled enough that he didn’t immediately start crying again at the sight. As his tears dried and his vision cleared a suspicion began to form in his mind. His vision was clearer than he could ever remember it being without his glasses or contacts and the picture he was seeing was taken somewhere he had never seen but would bet was a park in Russia. With a trembling hand, paler than he was used to seeing, he brought a lock of hair in front of his eyes. He was dimly surprised to see longer strands than he kept his that were the exact silvery shade of Viktor Nikiforov’s hair. 

In a daze, Yuuri got up from the bed, only mildly surprised to find his body in only a pair of briefs, and headed over to where he saw a full-length mirror in this upgraded room in the same hotel in Sochi as he was staying. With only a moment’s hesitation just outside of view of the mirror, Yuuri took a step forward and saw none other than Viktor Nikiforvo’s body reflected back at him. Seeing Viktor’s body shuffle hesitantly into the reflection was weird after being so used to only ever seeing the other’s confident body language and his usual boisterous movements. 

Yuuri felt overwhelmingly adrift. He had no idea where to go from here. When he had wished to have his switch happen last night he had had some vague image of waking up in another country and having an excuse to not think about everything that was happening in his life right now. He had hoped for, even if he didn’t want to admit it even to himself, a valid excuse to quietly withdraw from competing tomorrow when he felt the only possible outcome would be failure. He had imagined a bland, uninspiring person who he wouldn’t really have to deal with immediately. He had never imagined he would wake up to a situation that would not only make his competing or not more complicated, but force him to confront the living legend in his field and his long-time idol, someone who he would never be able to hide away from instead of dealing with the whole complicated situation. Yuuri had never felt more overwhelmed in his life. 

At least, that was until it occurred to him, as he stood staring blankly at Viktor Nikiforov nearly naked body, that he could only have switched with him if he was also struggling with something and it was now his responsibility to help him face and deal with whatever that was. Not having any kind of clue as to how to even begin to help the man at the top of their sport, a man who never seemed to falter, deal with a deep point of struggle in his life, Yuuri felt such a suffocating sense of anxiety wash over him. All he could do was sit against the wall directly behind him. With Viktor’s head in his hands, Yuuri tried to think of a first step to resolving what must have been some kind of cosmic joke. He was only able to think of the only thing that always seemed to help at least a little when his anxiety got this bad: calling Phichit. 

Reaching over to the phone that he must have dropped on the floor at some point, Yuuri was relieved to realize that at least something was going his way this morning. Viktor used the fingerprint setting to unlock his phone and he wouldn’t have to try to guess his passcode. He was equally relieved to have memorized Phichit’s phone number in a fit of paranoia in case he lost his phone in a foreign country. As the facetime call began connecting, Yuuri took a moment to find a little amused anticipation at the thought of Phichit waking in the middle of the night to the sight of Viktor Nikiforov on the other end of a video call. 

\---

Yuri was in his hotel room finishing getting ready to go down to practice for his short program. If you asked him, he needn’t have bothered he was so far beyond the rest of the junior division. But he was determined to be less of a pain in Yakov’s ass than Viktor loved to be, so he’d follow along for now. 

And think of the devil, Yuri thought. He would recognize that obnoxiously loud knock anywhere.  
“What do you want, old man,” Yuri all but yelled as he violently swung the door open. He was startled to find himself looking up at, not Viktor’s ridiculous face, but that weak-ass Japanese men’s senior skater who had barely scraped by to qualify for the final, even if Yuri did have to admit to himself that his step sequences were above average. 

Allowing only a second for his confusion, he quickly regained his annoyance. Switching to English, he growled, “What the hell do _you_ want?”

“Yuri! How did you know it was me? Quick, what’s my room number?”

“How the hell should I know?”

“Well I remember being in the room across from Yakov, which one is his?”

“What the fuck are you talking about? That’s Viktor’s room.”

“Exactly!”

Yuri stared blankly at Katsuki’s hopeful face. Had the other skater lost it? He must have seen Yuri’s confusion behind his glare because he continued, “It’s Viktor, Yuri! I thought you realized; you called me old man. Where’s my room,” he stressed.

“You’ve switched,” Yuri sneered. “Of course I wouldn’t know that. Leave it to you to switch the day before an international competition.” He nodded his head to the left, “That’s your room next door.” Before Viktor could rush over Yuri grabbed his wrist. “What are you going to do about the short program? Does Yakov know?” However much Viktor annoyed him he didn’t want to see him crash and burn. 

“I haven’t even thought about all that. Could you please explain to Yakov. You know who my soulmate is right,” he asked, gesturing down to his body. At Yuri’s nod he continued, “I know you’re competing today but can you please just let Yakov know so he can find Yuuri’s coach and they can deal with the officials,” he all but begged already trying to pull away to get to him room. 

“Only because you look so pathetic, old man. Go deal with your shit.” Viktor sent him a genuinely grateful look, which was doubly disconcerting both because he rarely saw that expression from Viktor and because it was coming out of someone else’s face. 

As he closed the door behind him, he took a minute to process the situation before he finished getting ready to meet Yakov. As much as romance and relationships puzzled and somewhat repulsed him, he could see the potential between Viktor and Katsuki. They seemed like they could balance each other out and if Katsuki could not freak out for once he could be a real competitor for Yuri next season. 

Pulling on his sneakers and throwing the last of what he needed in his training bag, Yuri peaked his head out into the hallway. He was relieved to see it deserted and ignored the murmuring he could hear through Viktor’s door. He did not want to be any more involved than he already was in this mess. 

Yuri had originally been going to be meet Yakov at the training rink to run through his routine again. They weren’t supposed to meet for another fifteen minutes but he would bet that his coach was already there, so he set off for the building just a block or so down the street.

As he was pushing his way through the lobby, he noticed an agitated Italian man leaving a voicemail from his cell. Yuri was almost positive he was Katsuki’s coach and confirmed it when he heard the man say his name in the message. He couldn’t remember the coach’s name and really didn’t want to be the one to have to tell him what was going on, but could also appreciate the urgency of the situation. Annoyed at being dragged into this drama, he stomped over to the man.

“Hey! You’re Katsuki Yuuri’s coach, right?” 

The coach looked puzzled by his approach, but at least he recognized him. “Yuri Plisetsky? Yes, I’m Yuuri’s coach.” He looked hesitant to say anymore, probably embarrassed to have lost his pupil. 

“Well he’s causing all kinds of drama.” He took a second to appreciate the man’s unease at that opening. “He’s gone and switched with Viktor Nikiforov and they’ve dragged me into their issues.” He was a little disappointed with the other’s easy acceptance of his announcement. 

“Yuuri _would_ be involved in something like this the day before his first Grand Prix Final,” he sighed with a small roll of his eyes. “That makes too much sense.” He seemed to be talking to himself at that point and Yuri impatiently cleared his throat. “Right. Thanks for letting me know. Do you know where your coach is right now? We better speak with the ISU officials about this.”

Yuri reluctantly allowed Katsuki’s coach to follow him to the rink so he could talk to Yakov. He just hoped this wouldn’t all interfere with his own competition because there would be hell to pay if it did. 

\---

Phichit was startled awake when his phone started ringing and vibrating from his hand where he had fallen asleep with it. He stared incomprehensibly at the random number requesting a facetime call. A video call in the middle of the night from a number he didn’t have in his contacts was more than unusual. Trying to make sense of the world again, Phichit stared at the number until it occurred to him that it had the Russian country code. A little concerned now with a mystery call from the country where his best friend had just received some devastating news, Phichit quickly sat up to answer. 

After accepting the call, he paused halfway through his greeting. That was Viktor Nikiforov’s face on his phone screen.

“Phichit. It’s Yuuri,” Viktor said, his voice sounding almost desperate. Phichit instantly felt more awake as cold dread washed through him.

“What’s happened? Is he alright,” he exclaimed, trying to get untangled from his blankets. Pacing around the room felt more productive than thinking about the fact that his best friend was on the other side of the world in some kind of trouble. 

Before he could get too worked up, Viktor’s voice continued speaking. “No. You’re talking to Yuuri. Viktor is apparently my soulmate and we’ve switched and the short program is tomorrow and apparently Viktor is also having some kind of breakdown and we only have until tomorrow to fix everything. How am I supposed to even talk to him,” Yuuri asked miserably into his hands. 

Phichit had never felt so helpless, trapped oceans away from his friend. He took a second to absorb everything that he had just been told. He tried to speak as calmly as he could when he did respond. “Yuuri, you told me last night that you hoped this would happen. And can you imagine how excited your teenage self would be to find out Viktor Nikiforov is your soulmate? I know a lot’s happening right now and you must be so overwhelmed but let’s try and think about the positives. You said you haven’t even talked to him yet? I’m sure everything will feel better once you’ve actually talked to him and can start making a plan to deal with everything. Have you talked to Celestino yet? I’m sure he and Viktor’s coach can take care of all the official stuff. You’ll just have to deal with your soulmate then, the best person in the world to give you support right now. There. We have a plan now. You find Viktor and I’ll talk to Celestino. Do you think you’re up for that?” While Phichit had been speaking, Yuuri’s shoulders had slowly been growing less and less tense and by the end he had begun to nod along slowly. 

“Thanks, Phichit. See, I wasn’t being paranoid when I memorized your number,” he added with a chuckle that was only a little shaky. “You always help.”

Before Phchit could respond to that, they both froze when there was a series of quick knocks on Yuuri’s end. 

“Do you want me to stay on the line,” Phichit asked quietly. Yuuri looked torn. Phichit didn’t think he’d ever seen such a vulnerable expression on Viktor Nikiforov’s face. 

While Yuuri was deciding they both heard a hesitant voice that was all too familiar come through the door. “Yuuri? It’s Viktor. Can I come in, please?” 

Yuuri’s looked a little wild in the eyes when he turned back from the door and made eye contact with Phichit, but he sounded surer than he had from the beginning of the call. “I think this is something we have to talk about on our own. Thanks though, Phichit.” This time when Yuuri smiled at him it looked more centered. 

“Okay. Call me when things have calmed down some, though, alright? Promise?”

“I promise, Phichit. Go back to sleep.”

When Phichit laid back down in his bed, he couldn’t help but feel hopeful that everything would work out. He knew Yuuri was stronger and more resilient than anyone gave him credit for. He also couldn’t help but think that it was fate that Yuuri would have ended up admiring his soulmate for so long before they ever met. Surely this was destiny. If anyone would be able to figure out how to follow destiny’s path it would be Katsuki Yuuri and Viktor Nikiforov. 

\---

Viktor had just called through his hotel room door for the second time when he heard footsteps approaching from the other side. He wasn’t one to get nervous often but the thought of not knowing how to help his soulmate was filling him with nervous energy. He knew that when he got nervous he tended to be bold and just hoped that he could use that to his advantage and maybe make his soulmate laugh. The universe had decided that they were the best match for each other, so hopefully that meant that his instincts would serve him well. 

It was highly disconcerting to see his own body hesitantly open the door in front of him, but he pushed that uncomfortable feeling aside.

“Yuuri, I’m so glad to see you!” Before Viktor could do more than look into his blue eyes, those eyes filled with tears. He stood shocked as Yuuri gasped, apparently as surprised by this turn of events as Viktor was, and covered his face and turned to rush further into the room, sitting on the edge of the bed with his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking as he unsuccessfully tried to catch his breath. 

Quickly closing the door behind him, Viktor crossed the room quickly to kneel in front of his tearful soulmate. “Yuuri,” he begged quietly, “it’s okay. What’s the matter?” When that only seems make things worse, Viktor felt completely lost. He raised his hand to caress Yuuri’s cheek, thought better of invading his space uninvited, and clasped his hands in his lap to keep still. “What should I say, Yuuri? Please, just tell me how I can help,” Viktor begged. Yuuri only shook his head frantically in response. 

Utterly lost, Viktor could only look on helplessly. Viktor could remember the few times he’d ever cried but he never knew he could be such an ugly crier. He watched his own face get blotchy and his eyes get red and swollen as Yuuri looked down at him where he still knelt in front of him, pathetically lost. 

Their eyes met for a moment as Yuuri continued to cry as Viktor watched, lost. He was startled when Yuuri seemed to roll his eyes. Before he could puzzle that out, he felt himself yanked up from the floor and positioned against Yuuri’s side. When he looked up into his own face he definitely wasn't imagining Yuuri’s eye roll then. Yuuri lent against his side and rested his head on Viktor’s shoulder. Taking this as permission to touch, Viktor gently rubbed circles along Yuuri’s spine. 

After some time, Viktor could feel Yuuri’s shaking calm down until they were just leaning into each other quietly. No longer trusting that everything would come naturally, Viktor just kept his hand on Yuuri’s back, waiting as he assessed the situation a little more. Hopefully Yuuri would know more of where to go from here because Viktor had never felt so disorientated. 

As if sensing his thoughts, Viktor felt Yuuri mumble something against his neck that he couldn’t make out. “What was that Yuuri,” he asked softly. 

“I think I needed that.” Yuuri leaned back to meet Viktor’s eyes. “I feel much better now. Sorry that’s how you had to meet your soulmate, though,” he said a little sheepishly, seeming to squirm in place. 

Viktor had never felt so immediately enamored by another person in his life. Even if Yuuri had just made his body ugly cry, Viktor had never seen himself look so adorable. 

“I don’t mind,” he replied with what he was sure was a very infatuated smile. “Switching happens for a reason, so I’m sure we’re not the first pair to have such an emotional meeting.” Viktor had never been the best at reassuring others but he guessed that he wasn’t a complete failure since this got Yuuri to laugh lightly. 

“You’re not that good at dealing with people crying are you?” Never mind. Maybe he was the worst at dealing with other people, Viktor thought, vaguely offended but not minding overly much if it got Yuuri to smile like that. “So, now what?”

At that, they both quieted in thought. “Well. I ran into Yuri Plisetsky trying to find my room-” 

Yuuri interrupted at that with an incredulous noise. “You couldn’t find your room? You’re a bit of a mess, you know that?”

“Thanks for those sweet words for your soulmate,” Viktor said, mock offended. Yuuri smiled back. “As I was saying,” Viktor continued imperiously, “I ran into little Yuri and got him to promise to talk to Yakov so our coaches can deal with the ISU. So I suppose we just have to figure things out between ourselves before tomorrow’s short programs. Shouldn't be too hard!”

“Yeah,” Yuuri responded, softly sarcastic. “Piece of cake.”

**Author's Note:**

> There should be one or two more chapters that I'll hopefully add in the next few weeks!
> 
> Comments are more than welcome :)
> 
> Check out my other YOI fic: http://archiveofourown.org/works/10517580  
> Check out my YOI tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/runningthroughthewind


End file.
